Blogs can be a fantastic resource, full of well-written advice and sparkling personality (hello!). Unfortunately, not all blogs are created equal. Any unqualified yokel can start a blog and start spouting off opinions on everything from chocolate cookie recipes to global conspiracies centering around the lizard-men illuminati. If anyone doesn't have time to be trudging through the internet misinformation parade, it is teachers. Luckily, I'm here to spare all of you admirable educators that deplorable fate.
Here are three actually useful blogs that can inform and enhance your curriculum:
1) Teachwriting.org's post on email etiquette
Look, email isn't going anywhere. Teaching students how to communicate effectively is one of the foundational tenets of the ELA instructor, and the majority of professional written communication is done via email. That means if there is anything that our students take away from the countless learning logs, exit tickets, and persuasive essays we assign them, it should be the ability to craft a well-structured, respectful, articulate email.
Teachwriting.org is a fantastic resource on a number of topics, but this post on email etiquette should be bookmarked in every English teacher's browser -- for our student's sake, sure, but for our own as well.
Just trust me on this one.
2) ELAtoday.org - Classroom Management for the Secondary Classroom
Few things scare a teacher more than losing control of the classroom. Yeah, clowns and sharks are up there, but have you ever called fruitlessly for a post-lunch class of 14-year-olds to quiet down as they unanimously and firmly reject your very existence? I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, much less you, my fellow-teachers-in-arms.
This blog links to two veteran teachers doling out easy-to-digest classroom management tips for any teacher who has waken up in a cold sweat from nightmares of unsuccessfully teaching unruly adolescents.
Which is to say, every teacher ever.
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| "Who keeps writing equations on my board?? This is AP Literature!" Source: Iowa City Moms Blog, https://tinyurl.com/stressedteach |
3) NEA.org's post on scrapping homework
The debate on the efficacy of homework has been raging for decades, with many teachers falling solidly into one camp or the other. The NEA, or National Education Association, makes a solid case for doing away with the concept altogether. They highlight the approach of Wisconsin teacher Scott Anderson, who has worked for over a decade to do away with the notion that homework teaches students. If you're thinking of taking the plunge away from homework, this is an excellent resource for alternatives that have proven successful for other educators.
Plus, you'll be the most popular teacher in school.
Not that it matters.
